Application of Fermented Silage for Pigs at Growing Stage

The applicability of a fermented silage material for raising pigs at growing stage was studied. One-hundred-twenty healthy Duroc×Landrance×Rongchang crossbred piglets with an average body weight of 25.37±0.74 kg were randomly divided into 4 groups. Each triplicate group consisted of 10 piglets, which were fed with feed containing 0% (Control), 0.5% (T1), 1.0% (T2) or 2% (T3) of the fermented silage for 7 days in the pre-testing and 30 days in the experimentation feeding with a duplicate run. The results showed that the piglets in T2, as compared to Control, significantly improved the growth performance (P < 0.05) with an increase on the average daily weight gain by 17.66% and a reduction on the feed conversion ratio by 14.61% (P < 0.05), as well as an increase on the Lactobacillus count by 21.26% and a decline on Escherichia coli by 16.02%in the rectum of the piglets (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the apparent digestibility on total energy, dry matters, crude protein, and crude fiber for the piglets also improved significantly (P < 0.05). It was concluded that a 1% addition of the fermented silage to the feed could enhance the growth performance, desirably regulate the intestinal flora, and improve the absorption and metabolism of nutrients for the piglets.